


The Key

by Lovableandlovable (Muldersmoodring)



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 13:41:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7716892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muldersmoodring/pseuds/Lovableandlovable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jake freaks out when he is unable to be there for Amy in a minor emergency. Typical Melodramatic Jake Peralta Self-Loathing ensues, followed by Typical Melodramatic Peraltiago Fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Key

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Peraltiago fic, but it's short and fluffy. Thanks to @jormaperalta for beta/proofreading. Enjoy! I'm @akivasschaffer on tumblr

By the time Amy has hung up, Jake Peralta is halfway to full-on panic mode.  
"It's no biggie," He tells himself, over and over. But it doesn't matter. Everything with Amy is a big deal- to him, anyway. That's just the way it always has been. When it comes to Amy Santiago, nothing is "no biggie." For as long as he can remember, her needs have been his  
number one priority- consciously or unconsciously.

So even though the situation is laughably minor, Jake can't help but pace around his apartment. His eyes wander, searching for something that will trigger his memory, but after a moment, he sullenly concludes that this just isn't something he can detective himself out of.  
No, but really, it's not that big of a deal. Across town, Amy is sitting in her car, reading the New Yorker on her iPhone. She certainly isn't in any state of emergency, and the idea that their recent phone call has sent Jake into some sort of spiral hasn't even crossed her mind. The situation she's in is inconvenient, sure, but not life threatening. It's not anything threatening. All she did was lose her keys- but it's fine. Jakes got a spare, and he's on his way right now to let her in.

Jake does not have a spare key and he is not on his way to let Amy in. He is tearing his apartment apart and cursing himself. If Amy were there, she'd be forcing him to sit down and telling him not to be so hard on himself. But Amy isn't there; in Jake’s mind, she's cowering in the freezing cold, (it's 60 degrees-and let’s be real here. Amy Santiago is not one to cower,) waiting for him to show up and rescue her. Jake knows Amy doesn't need rescuing, but he can't help but wonder why the universe is so against the concept of it ever happening.

They were a couple years deep into their partnership when Amy gave Jake the key, after realizing, somewhat reluctantly, that not only was she spending most of her time around him, he  
was the one person in her life most likely to pick up if she called. Jake hadn't thought much of the gesture, and had pocketed the key nonchalantly. So nonchalantly, in fact, that Jake can't  
even remember if he had ever bothered to remove it.   
"Classic Jake," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He wanted to slap himself in the face. Ever since they'd gotten together, Jake had been trying hard, so hard, to be better for Amy. The Jake who got to date Amy, he told himself, would be responsible, thoughtful, mature. He would do things like remember where he put his beautiful, amazing, wonderful girlfriend's spare key. But now, as he surveyed his slovenly apartment, he was faced with his failure. The helplessness he felt in that moment, unable to be there for Amy when she needed him, only served to show him how he came up short. All his insecurities came to the front of his mind, like his brain was giving a PowerPoint presentation on how much of a loser he was. Bitterly, he thought of how Teddy would have handled the situation.  
He would probably already be at Amy's with her key and a goddamn Pilsner. He'd unlock the door and hold it open for her like a gentleman, and then she'd invite him in and-  
Jake forced himself to change gears. Dejectedly, he left his apartment and began the drive to Amy's empty handed. He'd just have to explain to her that he'd lost her key and face the consequences. He understood miserably that no matter how disappointed Amy might be in him, it wouldn't be more than he was disappointed in himself. He'd been so goddamn lucky to have gotten to be with Amy, and now once again he'd let her down. If he couldn't remember to hold onto her spare key, how could he ever be there for her when things got serious? How would he handle things when Amy called him in a real emergency?  
Jake was dreading having to speak to Amy when he pulled up outside of h her apartment. He didn't know how she would react to the news that Jake had let her down- had cared for her so little that he had lost her key. Would she be angry? Or just disappointed? He almost cried right then, thinking about Amy being disappointed in him. He got out of his car and saw Amy right away, across the street, sitting in her car and staring at her phone. He almost bolted, but she looked up and spotted him before he could do anything. Her face lit up when she saw him, and Jake’s knees nearly buckled.  
"There you are! Um, are you okay?" She said, noticing his odd expression. He tried to stop himself from looking pained, but he couldn't. Instead he started babbling before she could speak.  
"I'm really, really sorry Ames, but I can't find your key, I looked for it everywhere but I just couldn't find it, you gave it to me so long ago and then I don't remember if I took it with me when I moved, I'm so, so sorry, I'll make it up to you anyway I can. Ames..." He trailed off and looked at her expectantly, but she just chuckled.  
"Whatever, dude! If you didn't have my key, why didn't you just tell me? I gave it to you like 5 years ago... It's not a big deal, Jake, really." She said, and Jake almost burst out laughing. Instead, he stepped forward and a gave her a big kiss, a quick one, right on the mouth, and enveloped her in a hug. "Jake, really, it's not a big deal, I can just stay at your place, right? I can call a locksmith tomorrow." She looked up at him and hugged him back, hard, before pulling away and leading him back to his car. "Come on," she said, holding on to his hand. "Let's go home."

Jake couldn't believe he'd gotten so worked up. Now, sitting next to her in the car, he understood just how badly he'd overreacted. Amy's presence next to him in the passenger's seat reassured him more than any words could, and he understood now, more than ever, how amazing of a girlfriend Amy Santiago was. As he slowed to a stop at a red light, he looked over at her in awe. She was glowing in the light of the street lamps, and he smiled. She swiveled to return his gaze and smiled back warmly.  
"Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have you?" He said, and her heart bloomed. She reached for his hand, and they didn't let go all the way home.


End file.
